Why BJJ Gyms in the UK Need to Rethink Their Tech Stack
Many UK BJJ gyms use separate tools for Direct Debit and class management. Here's why it's inefficient and how to simplify with an all-in-one solution.
Key Takeaways
- Many UK BJJ gyms rely on both a Direct Debit collector and separate gym management software due to system limitations.
- This fragmented setup leads to inefficiencies, student confusion, and increased admin time.
- MAAT is a BJJ-focused all-in-one platform that consolidates payments, bookings, and progression tracking in one easy-to-use system.
Why UK BJJ Gyms Still Use Both Direct Debit Collectors and Gym Management Software (and Why It’s Time to Stop)
Running a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym in the UK often means navigating a digital patchwork: one tool for class bookings, another for payment processing, and maybe a third for tracking student progress.
One of the most common and frustrating setups is using a Direct Debit collector such as Simply Collect or GoCardless alongside a separate gym management platform.
This might seem harmless at first, but over time, it adds unnecessary complexity and creates avoidable inefficiencies for gym owners and students alike.
What is a Direct Debit Collector?
A Direct Debit Collector is a third-party service that automates the collection of recurring payments directly from your members' bank accounts.
Examples include GoCardless, Simply Collect or Ashbourne.
These services are popular in the UK for their reliability, low transaction fees, and ability to manage subscriptions without involving credit cards.
👉 Check out this article to see why a direct debit collector might not be enough for a BJJ gym.
Where Direct Debit Collectors Fall Short
Despite their popularity, Direct Debit Collectors have significant limitations for BJJ gyms:
- No card or digital wallet support: Members can only pay via bank debit, this excludes those who prefer using cards or mobile wallets like Apple Pay or Google Pay.
- Easily cancelable: Direct Debits can be cancelled with a quick call to the bank, often without notifying the gym, this makes it harder to predict revenue or follow up on failed payments.
- Limited reporting: Most DD collectors provide only basic financial summaries.
There are typically no tools to track attendance, membership status, or integration with student progress.
In short, while Direct Debit Collectors automate payments, they offer little visibility or control over the broader gym operation.
"People were cancelling their Direct Debits and not giving us the full 30 days' notice.
As a business, that can have a massive impact if lots of people do this all at once."
says Gretel from Manifest BJJ, a gym owner from the UK who recently switched from a Direct Debit Collector to MAAT.
📌Interested in learning more about how Manifest BJJ migrated from Simply Collect to MAAT?
What is a Gym Management Software?
Gym Management Software helps academies manage class bookings, track attendance, monitor student progress, communicate with members, and more.
These platforms are essential for streamlining day-to-day operations and improving student engagement, however, not all software includes native payment processing, especially for Direct Debit in the UK.
👉 Check out this article to see why a direct debit collector might not be enough for a BJJ gym.
Worse, many gym management platforms are built with general fitness studios in mind, they don’t support the unique needs of martial arts schools.
As a result, BJJ gym owners often resort to pen and paper or external spreadsheets to track belt and stripe progress, attendance-based promotions, and competition achievements.
This manual tracking becomes harder to manage as the gym grows, leading to missed promotions or unclear student records.ù
"We were using GymDesk to track attendance, a separate payment provider that would take care of direct debits and also a few Excel spreadsheets that would pick up everything else"
says David from Sakura Grappling, a gym owner from the UK who recently switched from to MAAT.
📌Interested in learning more about how Sakura Grappling migrated from GymDesk to MAAT?
Why This Happens
There are two main reasons BJJ gym owners in the UK end up with this dual-software setup:
1. Software Limitations with Direct Debit
Many popular gym management systems, especially those built outside Europe, don’t support Direct Debit or UK bank payment integrations.
This is particularly common with American-based tools, where card payments dominate and direct bank debits are an afterthought, if supported at all.
2. Poor UX or Payment Complexity
Even when the software technically supports DD, it might be too difficult to set up or confusing for students to use.
In these cases, gym owners opt for a dedicated DD collection tool to simplify payment logistics, leaving the gym software to handle only bookings and attendance.
📌 Interested in Learning more about this topic?
👉 Check out this article to see which payment method is best for a BJJ gym.
Why This is a Problem
Using two separate systems might feel like a workaround, but it creates more problems than it solves:
- Extra admin time: Managing two platforms means double the setup, double the reports, and double the places where something can go wrong.
- Student confusion: Members may have to register or log in twice, for payments and bookings, leading to drop-offs or missed classes.
- Limited data visibility: Progress tracking, attendance, and payments live in silos, making it harder to get a complete picture of each student’s journey.
- Scalability issues: As your gym grows, juggling multiple systems becomes a bottleneck rather than a solution.
The Better Approach: One System, All Tasks
The most efficient path forward for a BJJ or MMA gym is adopting an all-in-one gym management software, tailored for BJJ and Combat Sports Gyms, that supports Direct Debit and other payment methods natively, alongside class scheduling, student progress tracking, and communication tools.
MAAT is one such solution, designed specifically for BJJ, MMA, and combat sports academies.
It integrates payments, bookings, belt tracking, and even WhatsApp support into a single, easy-to-use platform.
Why This is the best option
When payments, bookings, and belt tracking live under the same roof:
- You reduce friction for your students.
- You gain better control over your operations.
- You unlock smarter insights into attendance, retention, and revenue.
MAAT also includes features such as:
- Belt and stripe progression tracking with customizable criteria.
- Integrated payment options including Direct Debit, cards, and digital wallets.
- Student mobile app for bookings, notifications, and progress updates.
- WhatsApp support directly from BJJ-savvy staff.
- Leaderboards and gamification to increase student engagement.
- Attendance and Financial reports built specifically for combat sports academies.
All this features are perfect for a BJJ academy.
“It helps us keep people engaged, they know who’s showing up. It’s actually fun.”
says Jon from Kent Grapple, a gym owner from the UK who recently switched from to MAAT.
📌Interested in learning more about how Kent Grapple migrated from Martialytics to MAAT?
It’s not just about convenience, it’s about optimizing your time and delivering a better experience to your community.
👉Book a Free Demo with MAAT and discover how we can help your academy!
